The present invention relates to a golf ball having a core and a cover of one layer or a plurality of layers. More specifically, the invention relates to a golf ball which, by maintaining a good rebound and having a reduced spin rate, is able to achieve an increased distance.
It is known that the hardness and resilience of crosslinked rubber vary according to the moisture content therein, and various ways of adjusting the moisture content within a rubber composition even during golf ball manufacture have been proposed. For example, JP-A 10-85367 discloses a technique that suppresses the decrease in core resilience by minimizing moisture present in a golf ball rubber composition.
JP-A 2002-102388 describes an attempt in which powdered rubber that has been subjected to moisture absorption is added to a rubber composition as a way to lower the rebound of a practice golf ball. However, the above prior art does not address the challenge of providing a golf ball for regulation play which, by maintaining a good rebound and having a reduced spin rate, is able to achieve an increased distance.
Also, JP-A 2003-126300 discloses art which increases the rebound of a golf ball by using zinc oxide having a small particle size in the rubber composition for the golf ball core. However, because this art does not control the crosslink density of the core, a core material which undergoes no decrease in resilience over time and experiences little energy loss cannot be reliably obtained.